News - 2006: The Year In Review


greetings all

2006 and was an incredibly emotional year
so many firsts
- the beatles marathon
- working with the orlando symphony
- performing in las vegas
my head spins
i think of all of us in and out of airports and hotels
or sitting pool side after the show
reflecting on a job well done
and the audience
the friends we've made
the people on the message board
and the countless faces of elation that warm us from the crowd
this is a sacred thing we do
and it's getting bigger
people are seeking us out

a defining moment for me
was we were doing a live performance on Q107
with kim mitchell
now kim is canadian rock royalty
and i grew up following his career
anyway
we're on air
and kim says that everything i do was a good thing
and that he likes that i employ hundreds of musicians
and keep them working
and that i'm welcome on his show anytime
well
i almost lost it
it was so emotional
and it made me feel good
yes
the musicians
keep them working
pay them well
respect them
treasure them
love them
don't stop

whew
so here's some moments from the CAL 2006 year

1. greg wyard - dead on his feet at the beatles marathon - sits a couple of songs out - hears 'revolution' start up - pulls himself out of his chair and as if in a dreamlike state walks onto the stage and sings the song perfect - greg is a perfect musician

2. nicky - nicky is a bad boy and conflicted in all the right ways - he is a caring sensitive man whose star power sometimes overshadows his absolute musical genius - anyway forget all that - i'll remember him in 2006 drunk and stage diving at the hard rock in orlando

3. clifton david and mike daley performing 'the end' in melbourne - defining moment of the series - clifton was perfect in his restraint - so many people sing morrison and take it to cheeseball mimicry - not clifton - he completely understood the grace of the band and carefully recreated morrison's poetry and verbal swagger - meanwhile the doctor is gone - i mean gone - playing the guitar with his entire body - making the guitar bend underneath him - flashes of brilliance - all of us at that very time were absolutely alone with the performance and the song - the song ends - absolute quiet and then 1400 people erupt

4. marcus garrison - a deeply passionate man and a committed musician - 2006 was the year that we saw marcus breakthrough into greatness - it was beautiful and it is beautiful to see a musician take their craft to a new level - marcus was the unsung hero of the beatles marathon - however during the doors show we were all crawling about his keys with him

5. marty morin - marty saved me one night - there was a zeppelin tribute band playing at massey hall - $50 a ticket - i had to go - the show wasn't selling so i got free tickets - i knew it was a mistake the band was terrible and i only last 3 songs
- i leave massey hall feeling like i got slimed just like bill murray in ghostbusters - anyway i'm in a foul mood but find myself wandering into kensington market where marty is performing his tom waits show - a beer and a whiskey later i get lost in marty's performance of 'clap hands' and remember that what we do is always a great thing

6. we're coming back from orlando and crossing at the border back into canada - the border guard looks at us
"Where are you returning from?"
"Orlando," we says feeling the heavy inspector like gaze scanning us
long pause
"What album did you do?" asks the border guard
"Zep 4!"
"Have a nice day."

7. the web site is hitting over 3 million hits a year - i realize that i should start watching what i say

well
that's about it
i want to thank everybody for a fantastic year
really
thank you
you're all part of the family
this music is important
it seeps it's way into our lives
it's an honour to be respecting it
and celebrating it with so many people

peace and prosperity

craig

all contents © 2006 Classic Albums Live

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